A library

I am a bookworm. I have no shame to say that out loud.
I. Am. A. Book. Worm.

So what if I'm blonde & am not flat-chested?
So what if I have 50-50 vision & not wearing spectacles?
Is there some sort of law that bookworms can't be... Those who doesn't "look" like one?

That's what I am thinking right now when Rob said, "Hey, are you reading a book?"
& cackled away.

I do not believe that that's the sort of attitude a boyfriend should have.
Sure, he's the head of the football & rugby team. Maybe he does go out to the Friday boozer party they have at pubs.
But either way, I don't think that my boyfriend should just be so shocked that I enjoy reading books.

"What happened to People magazine?" he say.
"What do I look like to you, a bimbo?" I snap.
"Well, you are hot."

That made my blood boil. So, he thinks I look like a girl he could boff?
Well, forget it.

I throw his class ring into the bushes, stand up & walk away from a swearing ex-boyfriend.








Hutaru is the most serene place I've ever been to. Bookworm, though I may be, this bookstore is really awesome.
It gives this whole calm vibe - the mini waterfall near the bookshelves, this cute little Japanese cafe behind the waterfall.
Really. Whatever book-hater would LOVE this place.

I notice a cute guy as I walked in, in jeans & a black, collared shirt, neat & crisp.
His hair is red, abit on the long-ish side, really. & he smiles lik-
'You've just broken up with your steady boyfriend & already you're checking some cute guy out? God, Shell, get a grip!' I scold myself.

I quickly head to the "Fantasy" section, hoping that I don't bump into that guy.
... Who am I kidding?









"Chronicle Edge, Chronicle Edge..." I murmur to myself as I check practically each book title lying on that shelf.
'Yes! It's there!!' I think as my gaze fall onto a thick, green book, the words "Chronicle Edge IV" engraved on it with gold letterings.
My hand shot out as fast as you can say "Light speed", just in case no one else takes the book away from me.
It was the last one.

Yes, I am a geekette.

I manage to get my hand on the book first, but another hand is ontop of mine.
It feels warm, big & warm.
I look at the person, whose hand is on mine & realise that it's that cute guy I saw just now!

Great. This is embarassing.

"Oh. Sorry." I hear the guy say, his voice soft, deep & low.
"Um, no prob." I say, hoping with all my strength that he did not just hear my voice shake.
"But I'm not sorry enough to let you walk off with my book."

Well, that is truly the most romantic moment of my life.
Um, not.

"Dream on. I had my eye on that two months ago!" I say, completely forgetting that the guy I'm fighting a book over with is completely hot.
"Yea? Well, I was having the countdown plastered on the screen five months ago."
"Lies. All lies." I smirk.
"Bet you a cup of coffee I'm correct."
"You're on."
"Lemme show you the evidence." He takes out his MacBook out of his laptop bag, which was slung casually over his broad shoulders.

He flips open the screen & shows me proudly a white banner bouncing up & down, which reads:
"COUNTDOWN TILL CHRONICLES EDGE : ALREADY OUT!!"

I feel my face flush - either with embarrassment or disappointment that I lost the bet.
"I like my coffee dark." he says with a grin.












"So, you're from the Academy too? How come I don't see you around?" I say as he blows the steam off his piping hot mug.
"Well, because I kind of just graduated." he says awkwardly, probably wishing that he isn't being seen hanging out with a kid who is still in high school - a.k.a. me.
"Seriously?" I say, kind of shocked.
Don't ask me why, he doesn't seem like a high school kind. But he doesn't seem like a college guy either.
For one thing, he's pretty shaven. No stubble or anything.

Which all I can say to that is, Thank God.

He nods.

"I'm still searching. No scholarships. Well, okay. That's a lie. I do have one offer but it's sort of... Far." he says, still looking uncomfortable.
"How far?"
"Try England far."
I nearly drop my iced latte.

How could he do that? Leaving to another continent!
'Why am I so furious?' I just met him! I try to reason with myself.

"Now you know." he says with a sheepish grin.
I shrug & say, "Well, it'd be a loss to the authors of Chronicles Edge. Their second biggest fan moving to a different place & all."
"What do you mean second?! You're not going to another continent."
"Please. How many books of theirs do you have?"
"All."
"Lies!"
"Do you really want to bet, after losing?"
"Hey! That's not fair to bring up a loss." I say & whack him, not too hard. "Anyway, that's a lie. You can't have all the books. I'll even... I'll even bet a kiss that you don't."

Yes, I am that confident he does not have the whole series. Because everyone knows that if you have the whole series, you must be the kid of a millionaire's or something. The series is not cheap.

He gave me a smile & say, "You're on."











Just in the same day I broke up with Rob Mogregger, I end up riding a motorbike with a college guy, Chris Haught to go to his house - not for the reasons you might think, but to check out his set of books.

Sarcasm asides, I really am living my romance dream.





"I think you owe me a kiss." he says when he notice how big my eyes have gone. He really did have the whole series! Every book, from the germglozer to the Forever & beyond! He wasn't lying.

"No, you're missing one book. You didn't buy the last book, remember?" I remind him.
His smile crestfallens. But slyly brightens again.
"Yes. But only because I already have it." he says.

He look under the bed & takes out a box which was neatly kept. He opens the lid & voila!
There was the thick, green book with the gold letters, big & bold blazing on it.

"You do owe me a kiss. & there's no escape." he says, which just made my pulse beat faster.









Here I am, kissing the cutest guy on his bed. My hands are around his neck, his hands are...
Well, I can't say it here & now.

All I can say is, he kissed me, not me!
Okay, that's a lie. I kinda did started it.

But all I did was go closer to him, closed my eyes tight & leaned towards his face.
Then, he cupped my face & leaned even closer. Just like that, we were kissing.

His lips are soft. Very soft.
Yet his hands are so rough, even though they're holding me so gently.

I really don't want this moment to end.
Not now, not ever.













"SHELL, IM IN THE AIRPORT NOW. ON MY WAY TO ENGLAND. I'LL MISS YOU GBYE 4EVA"
That was the text message I got just recently. Now I'm on my scooter, zooming the traffic as fast as I can to reach the airport.
It didn't help that the tears are blurring my view.

'Stupid. Don't cry. Stupid.' I tell myself.
So maybe we dated for a month, maybe two.
Now all of a sudden, he tells me he's going to England in the next three hours instead of, gee, I don't know. THAT LAST MONTH?!

'Maybe he doesn't think we're together. He never asked.' I think to myself as I passed by a Trans Am.









Out of breath, I run to the gate A278.
"Gate A276... Gate A277..." I count.
"Gate A278!"

I run even faster & see a girl hugging Christ.
Not just a girl, an older one. Older than me, hell, older than him.
She had the skimpiest outfit I had ever seen.
The girl seemed more like his... Girlfriend.

Crash!

"Shell? Michelle? Wait! No!" I hear.
"Who's Michelle? What's going on?" I hear the chick say.

But I didn't care. Not anymore. I run faster as if I was being chased by wolves - only to find that I was dating one.








"SHELL IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK. COME OUTTA THERE"
Another text message. I deleted it & continued my silent sobbing.

Why didn't I see it? No guy could be that perfect.
One who is equally hot as he is equally smart & brainy.

Ten minutes passed & I couldn't stand it. I get out of the woman's toilet & hoped that he isn't out there, waiting for me.
Only to find out that he is.











Never in my life had I seen a woman that sad.
Even though she was sad, she still looked as gorgeous as she'll ever be.
Sure, sad-looking women ticks me off. I've got enough of those in my life.

But the way she looked up at me, with those red-rimmed eyes, mascara going down along with her tears, something inside me broke.
I hug her & at first, she didn't hug me back. But a moment passed, she finally hug me.
She look up & kissed me.

I kiss her back. Soft, tender. Whatever I felt towards her, I put in that kiss.
"Shell, look. About that woman... She's..."
I feel Shell tensing up. She thinks she's my girlfriend.
I'm used to it, but now I can't stand it.

"She's... My mom."









"That's right. You heard me. My mother. The woman who brought me into this life. A result of prom day." he gives a grin.
I stare. That was his mother?!
Skimpy-clothes-wearing-woman... His mom??
"I... I..."
I jump & kiss him.

"Calling passenger to Gate A278. Calling passenger to Gate A278. Flight will be taking off in ten minutes. Thank you." the announcer says.

"Goodbye." he says before he gives me one last kiss, a hug & a gift.








I couldn't stop smiling & crying at the same time.
It was a book. No, two books.
One was a notebook, filled with written stories & his thoughts... Just for me.
Another was a storybook.
The Chronicles Edge storybook which I had been waiting for since day 1.
He scribbled a little writing on the front page itself:

"Don't forget me. I'll be back.
Love, Christ."